Glacier County man convicted in fatal DUI is arrested again

A Blackfeet Reservation man who pleaded guilty to killing a 2-year-old child while driving drunk in 2008 is back in federal court to face a new DUI charge.

David Bear Child was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after the April 2008 incident, in which court documents say he consumed seven to nine beers and a couple of shots of whiskey before backing his truck over the toddler in his grandmother’s driveway. His blood alcohol level at the time was determined to be 0.21 percent.

After pleading guilty, Bear Child was sentenced to two-and-half years in prison and three years of supervised release in October 2008.

His probation was revoked after he was charged with driving under the influence and striking another vehicle in December 2011, resulting in a second nine-month sentence and more than two years of additional supervised release. He began his probation term after the second round of incarceration in September 2012.

Now, his probation officer charges that he has again violated the conditions of his release, citing a March 22 incident in which Bear Child was pulled over by a Glacier County sheriff’s deputy under suspicion of driving under the influence.

Bear Child allegedly rolled down his window part way when approached by an officer, swore and sped off on U.S. Highway 2 toward East Glacier. A witness in East Glacier said a vehicle matching the description of Bear Child’s nearly struck a pedestrian as it drove through town, court documents state.

When called on his cellphone by his probation officer in an attempt to persuade him to pull over, Bear Child reportedly yelled at the officer and asked whether the officer would attend his funeral before hanging up. Court documents state Bear Child called the officer back a few minutes later, saying he had wrecked his vehicle.

Bear Child, who had reportedly driven his vehicle through a fence near Two Medicine Creek, was arrested and charged with eluding law enforcement, reckless driving and driving under the influence, court documents state.

Court documents also detail several other incidents over the past year in which Bear Child tested positive for use of alcohol or opiate drugs and say that he was twice placed in chemical dependency treatment programs.

In an initial hearing Monday before Magistrate Judge Robert Holter in Great Falls, Bear Child was ordered to remain in custody as proceedings for his new charge progress. A hearing to consider a revocation of his suspended release is set for Thursday.